Salt shaker arrangement with desiccant container



April 8, 1952 R. w. LUCE 2,592,162

SALT SHAKER ARRANGEMENT WITH DESICCANT CONTAINER Filed May 10, 1948 INVENTOR. ,Q/CHAED w. LUCE UNITED Patented pr. 8, 1.952

SALT SHAKER ARRANGEMENT VITH DESICCANT CONTAINER STATES PATENT OFFICE Application May 10, 1948, Serial No. 26,061

2 Claims. 1

The invention herein disclosed relates to a salt shaker arrangement for dispensing table salt. More particularly, the invention relates to a salt shaker that is especially adapted to maintain the salt in a free flowing condition.

condition.

below.

the invention.

desiccant container.

ture.

to clog the perforations.

crystals. In this way..the dispensing perforations are maintained clear and the salt within the salt shaker is maintained in a free owing state.

The specic salt shaker arrangement embody- In addition, it should The par- The common salt shaker includes a chamber ing this invention that is illustrated in the for holding a quantity of salt and an 'end section drawing includes a salt shaker designated genor cap that is perforated. The salt is dispensed erally by the numeral I, and the desiccant conthrough the perforations. During humid days, tainer designated generally by the numeral 2. the salt absorbs moisture and the moisture laden The salt shaker includes a body portion 3 that crystals clog the dispensing perforations. It is is hollow and forms a chamber for containing an object of this invention to provide a salt a quantity of salt, a neck portion 4 and an end shaker arrangement in which the clogging oi section 5. The end section 5 is provided with the dispensing perforations is avoided and in a thread 6 and on this end section, there is which the salt is maintained in a free owing threaded a, metal and cap l, the end wall of Th f b t d rt d which is paerfgrated ir iile usuraltanne sotthat e oregoing o jec an ce ain a vantages salt may e ispense roug e per ora ions that will hereinafter appear, are realized in the for seasoning food. On the neck portion 4 of salt shaker, selected to illustrate one specific the salt shaker, between the body 3 and the end embodiment of the invention, shown in the acportion 5, there is a frusto-conical, ground seccompanying drawing and described in detail tion 9. This conical section is provided for en- Th 1 i th d 1 gagement with a complemertary conical section e sing e gure n e rawing is an e evaon the desiccant container tion, partly in section, of a salt shaker embodying The desiccant container 2 is preferably made from heat-resisting glass.

In general, a Salt Shaker arrangement embe color-transparent, or, at least, one section bodying this invention includes a salt shaker thereof should be color-transparent. that has a chamber for holding a quantity of ticular desiccant container illustrated in the Salt and e perforated Section 01 Cap through drawing includes a desiccant chamber IB open which the salt contained in the chamber isdisat H, A skirt l2 extends from the open end pensed. In addition, the Salt Shaker arranseof the desiccant chamber, and near the end ment includes a container for a desiccant- .The thereof, it is provided with an internal frustredeuiccant Container has an Opening there@ Suf' conical ground section I3. The frustro-onical gcent to permlt the passage of au buumsuf" section I3 is complementary to the frustro-conic ent to anovf' the passage of the de slccant 35 cal section 9 of the salt shaker. When the gllifi smtl? eirgggtlrlieg dsisilg; lgale 2, desiccant container is placed over the end section ranged to eii'ect a substantially air-tight pasthe saltshaler as lfutreg m gheflwm sage between the perforated section of the salt e groun sur aces. o e Chmn .o 'e sa Shaker and the opening to the chamber for the 40 shaker and the section I3 of t e desiccant com desiccant. With this arrangement, any moistaluer eect' through the act'ilon of gra'vlty ture that may be absorbed by the salt, while 'actmg upon the deslucunt contame" a Substuu the salt shaker is being used to dispense salt uuu? arughu Contact Thus' the skirt l2 forms therefrom, is absorbed by the desiccant in the e Sfubs'gntiellxff ir-biegt pessggteh betvlvrerrll 'khe Generally speaking, the per ora ons o VVe en cap 0 Ve Sa S a er dispensing perforations of a salt shaker are and the Open end 0f the desiccant chamber l0 clogged by the adherence of moisture laden The Open end U 0f the desiccant @flamber u crystals of salt. Normally, all of the salt in a iS DIDYided with a perforated diaphram I4. salt shaker does not become saturated with mois- The dlephlam I4 has a Selles 0f VSplme' grips However, afew saturated grains, adhering l5 formed thereOn. These spring grips 5 er@ to the perforated section or cap, are sui'licient arlnged u1 engage tile inner Surface 0f the With the arrangement con ainer a the junc ure of the skirt l2 and of this invention, the moisture is extracted from the Chamber |0 They are Curved. eS illustrated.

the saturated salt crystals by the desiccant which to conform to the curvature of the engaging has a greater ainity for moisture than the salt surface. The diaphram, except for the perforations therethrough. closes the opening ll to the desiccant chamber l0.

Before the diaphragm I4 is snapped into place, the desiccant chamber I is lled with a desiccant. A desirable desiccant for this purpose is activated aluminum oxide. The crystal size of the activated aluminum oxide used is such that it cannot pass through the preforations in the diaphragm I4. Desirably the activated aluminum oxide is provided with a color-indicator. Such material may be purchased on the open market in any grain size. It is blue in color when dry, and pink in color when saturated with moisture.

When it is desired to utilize the salt shaker for dispensing salt, the desiccant container is removed from the salt shaker. It may be left off the salt shaker during the course of a meal, if desired. When the salt shaker is not in use, the desiccant container is placed thereon as shown in the drawing. The desiccant has a greater afiinity for moisture than the salt. In consequence, if the salt has absorbed any moisture while the sale shaker was in use, the desiccant will remove the moisture. When the desiccant becomes saturated, indicated by the color changing from blue to pink, the desiccant container is heated for a short period of time, as by being placed in the oven of a stove. The heat drives the moisture from the desiccant which, on being dried, turns, again, blue in color.

From the foregoing description of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art, that by this invention there is provided a salt shaker arrangement which avoids the clogging of the perforations through which the salt is dispensed which clogging normally occurs in humid weather, and a salt shaker arrangement that maintains the salt in a free flowing condition. It will also be apparent that the arrangement has indefinite utility, since the desiccant may be rejuvenated merely by heating for a short period of time.

It will be obvious that various changes may be made by those skilled in the art in the details of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing and described above within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

l, A salt shaker arrangement of lthe kind described comprising in combination a salt shaker including a portion forming a chamber for holding a quantity of salt and a neck portion, a cap for the neck portion having a perforated end wall and a skirt, releasable interengaging means on the cap and neck portion for releasably securing the cap to the neck portion, and a container for a desiccant including a dome-shaped portion for the desiccant and a circumambient skirt portion for enclosing the neck of the salt shaker, a part of said dome-shaped portion being colortransparent, a perforated, metal diaphragm at the juncture of said dome-shaped and skirt p0rtions, and a regenerative desiccant with a color indicator within the dome-shaped portion of the desiccant container.

2. A salt shaker arrangement of the kind described comprising in combination a salt shaker including a portion forming a chamber for holding a quantity of salt and a neck portion extending from said chamber forming portion, a cap for the neck portion having a perforated end wall and a skirt, releasable interengaging means on the cap and neck portion for releasably securing the cap to the neck portion, and a container for a desiccant consisting of a single piece of heat resistant, color-transparent glass and including a dome-shaped portion for the desiccant and a circumambient skirt portion for enclosing the neck of the salt shaker, a perforated, metal diaphragm at the juncture of said domeshaped and skirt portions having resilient fingers extending into and engaging the inner surface of the dome-shaped portion and'retaining the diaphragm in place, and a regenerative desiccant with a color indicator within the dome-shaped portion of said desiccant container.

RICHARD W. LUCE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 743,340 Simundt Nov. 3, 1903 813,649 Jones Feb. 27, 1906 1,055,400 Jewett Mar. 11, 1913 1,318,939 Willert Oct. 14, 1919 1,346,007 De Aguiar Julyv, 1920 1,534,339 Perry Apr. 21, 1925 1,534,342 Weihmann Apr. 21, 1925 1,567,726 Frierson Dec. 29, 1925 1,947,600 Isenhower Feb. 20, 1934 2,315,049 Cronstedt Mar. 30, 1943 2,342,932 Frame et al. Feb. 29, 1944 

